Let’s play Jack’s Game

READY for a game . . . at the opening of the new outdoor learning centre at Kingfisher School are (back, from the left) former Manchester United player players Paddy Crerand and Denis Law, Burnley FC goalkeeper Tom Heaton and Sheila Crompton, with pupils (front, from the left) Usayd Khan, Brandon Lawrence-Gate, Louis Smeaton, Junior Burke, Jayden Das and Logan Bond

DENIS Law and Paddy Crerand visited an Oldham special school on Friday to unveil a new outdoor learning area dedicated to another Manchester United legend.

Jack Crompton, who used to live in Chadderton, won the FA Cup under iconic manager Sir Matt Busby with Manchester United in 1948.

He died at the age of 91 last July after battling cancer.

Honour

The former United goalkeeper was inspired by Kingfisher Community Special School, Chadderton, and in his later years he and his wife Sheila donated and raised significant amounts of funding for the £2.5 million refurbishment and extension of the school in 2011.

The school decided to name a new meeting room and a family and community room “The Jack Crompton Suite” in his honour — and it was opened by Mr Crompton and the then Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson in 2012.

One of Mr Crompton’s last wishes was that any money donated at his funeral would go to Kingfisher — and the school used that money to develop an outdoor learning/play area designed around a game that pupils devised themselves, called Jack’s Game.

Denis Law said: “I am sure Jack would be proud. It is a great honour for me to be part of that. It gives me a great pleasure to see all these children and the wonderful work that is done at this school.”

Anne Redmond, head teacher of Kingfisher, said: “It is a real tribute to Jack to see so many people here today. We have got to remember that is why we are her because we loved Jack so much and he loved us also. Jack was a really big part of Kingfisher, he really took the children to his heart and the children really responded well to Jack.”
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